The South Carolina Supreme Court has ruled a state law preventing anyone from moving a Confederate monument or changing the historical name of a street or building without the Legislature's permission is legal. But in the same ruling Wednesday, the justices struck down a requirement that two-thirds of the General Assembly must approve a move or name change. The ruling keeps intact South Carolina's Heritage Act. The 2000 law has prevented colleges and local governments from removing Confederate monuments or the names of segregationists from buildings. Lawmakers have refused to even take up any requests to remove monuments over the past few years even as other Southern cities act.

Health care workers and educators in South Carolina are doubling down on calls for lawmakers to roll back a provision that bans masks in schools. Pediatricians, school nurses and teachers on Tuesday described the toll the coronavirus pandemic is taking on students and in children's hospitals. They want lawmakers to repeal a state rule that prevents school districts from using state money to enforce a rule requiring masks. More than 88,000 students and staff have been quarantined this school year so far. Schools have recorded nearly 21,000 COVID-19 cases this fall, almost 7,000 more than they counted all of last year.

The Tropical Atlantic has had no shortage of tropical storms in recent days, but they have been weak so far. That may change with a tropical wave, called "Invest 98L" in a few days.

The Coronavirus pandemic has changed many aspects of daily life, including how people work, attend school and socialize. The virus, which has claimed almost 12,000 lives in South Carolina, is also having an impact on how many people mourn their dead. Within the African-American community, instead of observing days of culture-rich traditions, many families have settled for a scaled-back graveside service to celebrate the life of a loved-one.

The estates of two South Carolina women who drowned while locked in the back of a sheriff's department van during Hurricane Florence have filed a lawsuit alleging negligence by a company that created policies and procedures for the law enforcement agency. That's according to lawsuits filed last week in Horry County by representatives of 43-year-old Nicolette Green and 45-year-old Wendy Newton against Moseley Architects. The company consults with law enforcement agencies and develops policies and procedures. The women died in September 2018. Representatives for Moseley didn't immediately return an email message Monday.

Isko Moreno, the celebrity mayor of Manila City, has launched a bid to succeed Rodrigo Duterte. At 46 years old, the former actor would represent generational change for the nation of 109 million.

A third shot of the vaccine can be given at least six months after the two-dose regimen, according to the authorization. A booster rollout could begin this week.

The independent film director was best known for Watermelon Man and Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song.

The filing represents the first time Britney Spears has called for an end to the arrangement in court documents, though she has called for its termination in hearings.

South Texas is the one place in the U.S. where ocelots breed in the wild. After the death of a male, scientists tried something novel: artificial insemination from a wild ocelot into one at a zoo.

Betty Soskin's career with the National Park Service began in 2000 after attending a presentation on a plan to create the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, Calif.

The complaints from the Campaign Legal Center against four Democrats and three Republicans show a trend — lawmakers failing to disclose transactions required by an insider trading law.

For decades, rising property prices helped enrich China. Now one of the country's biggest developers is facing bankruptcy. Policymakers fear it could send China's financial system into a tailspin.

A growing number of states have policies for avoiding drawing new voting districts filled with prisoners who can't vote. It's part of an effort to combat what some call "prison gerrymandering."

A commenter said the new uniforms look like something from Battlestar Galactica, adding one of the show's taglines: "So say we all."